


Salted Cake

by Daxii



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M, pretty much crack to be honest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-16
Updated: 2015-09-16
Packaged: 2018-04-21 03:12:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4812794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daxii/pseuds/Daxii
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anonymous asked:<br/>"salted cake" could refer to how haru likes to cook mackerel into his cake (actual canon events lol) or maybe how they both can come off a little salty at first but are also sweet if you get to know them better?</p><p>mackervel answered:<br/>It probably could be both, if I should associate a word with souharu it would most likely be ‘salt’or ‘salty’, lol<br/>I don’t know how my subconscious mind managed to create this, but tbh I’m sure it would make a great title for a souharu fic *looks over at daxii*</p>
            </blockquote>





	Salted Cake

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mackervel/baenase/I forgot what your AO3 name is Becs I'm sorry](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=mackervel%2Fbaenase%2FI+forgot+what+your+AO3+name+is+Becs+I%27m+sorry).



_Apparently_  Haruka is by far the “best baker” out of Rin’s crew, so it’s really only natural that Sousuke ends up sidling up to Makoto to drop not-so-subtle hints that he promised he’d handle Rin’s birthday cake but has an appointment this afternoon before the party and may or may not have completely forgotten… it’s an interesting story. 

Probably even more interesting to find out just how Makoto has sweet-talked Haru into doing it, but that’s best left up to the imagination (or an indulgent drabble on tumblr…)

Rin is so finicky when it comes to sweet things. He’ll have the odd piece of dark chocolate or a tangfastic robbed over Momo’s shoulder, but other than that he’ll pull his face. Sousuke’s… sort of wary to be honest. It’s not that he doubts Haru’s skills, it’s more how he’s going to go about making it to Rin’s liking. He’s too competitive to let an opportunity to impress him slide. 

He swings by Haru’s house on his way home from his appointment, to be all gentlemanly and maybe help carry things on the walk to Rin’s house. Haru is slow to open the door, and even slower to look Sousuke up and down in what is outright offended confusion at his very existence, but eventually steps aside. 

“So you, uh, finished the cake, I assume?” Sousuke asks, trying to peer from the living room to the kitchen but being stubbornly blocked by a houseplant. 

“Hn,” that’s probably a  _yes_. 

“I hope he’ll like it.”

And then this dark little smirk flashes on Haru’s face for barely a second, and Sousuke wonders when this became one of those creepy yandere fics. But then it’s gone, replaced with a straight stare into Sousuke’s forehead and a nod. 

Well if  _he’s_  going to be so downright abrasive, especially over their best friend’s birthday, then why should Sousuke try to be anything different?

“Let me carry it. You’ll probably drop it.”

“Oh. Wow. My knight in shini - pretty dulled armor. When was the last time you washed your clothes?”

Sousuke, being the bigger man (in all departments) refuses to rise to the argument, but uses his size to push past Haru to grab the cake (all covered in some fancy and disgustingly pink cake net-box-carrier thing that was probably a gift from Makoto’s mum or something) and defiantly hold it. Haru’s too protective of his creation to try for a tussle for it. 

The walk has Haru a few paces behind, which is just fine by Sousuke. They don’t want to look like a couple, after all, so he’s actually surprised when Haru holds the front door open for him. Though it’s probably more to protect the cake than anything else. 

Rin is twirling around like an excited little kid, almost mowing them down as he rushes into the hallway. Haru manages to catch him, and it’s probably the shock of the voluntary hug that roots Rin to the spot long enough for Sousuke to squeeze past and safely put the cake in the kitchen, before he’s tackled from behind and totes Rin like a limpet on his back into the living room. Haru shuts the door so the cake is safe from anymore flying shark people. 

“ _Look_  at you two, getting all friendly just for my birthday. This is the best gift  _ever_ ,” Rin swoons, hooking an arm around each of their necks. 

Haru looks pretty set on changing that when he escapes and grabs the gift bag from the table (he’s dumped Sousuke’s rather unceremoniously on the floor next to it) and holds it out. 

“But it’s not present-time,” Rin’s bottom lip wobbles, so torn between  _presents_  and upholding the childhood tradition on waiting till cake, even though he’s twenty, but he’ll always be a kid at heart. 

“It’s alright. I got you two,” Haru explains. “Either one of these will be a better gift, I promise.”

Sousuke should have thought of that. He’s just got him the one and has nothing to compete with, nothing to hold up in retaliation when Rin grabs a hold of his nose and pushes him into the couch with his new shark-head mittens he’s gonna be squealing about every fucking winter for the rest of his life. So he accepts his fate with a well meaning nod to Haru. At least Rin is  _pleased_ , which is always nice for everyone, so kudos to him for that. 

Other guests arrive a little later, and Sousuke and Haru end up awkwardly squished together on the couch when Seijurou decides to sprawl out with Gou next to him, and by default Momo on her other side. Haru is practically in his lap in his attempts to get out of range of their ogling, but Sousuke can’t really blame him. Nor does he want to squeeze himself out and abandon him for somewhere with more breathing space. It feels almost like betrayal, after their excellent team work protecting the cake, so he stays put, offering what he hopes is a comforting smile when Haru glances up at him, looking so disheveled his hair is all stuck up like a wet cat, and something on his face must give Haru that extra bit of permission to scoot closer, so he’s at least not bumping knees with Sei anymore.

But then suddenly Rin actually  _is_  in his lap, across both his and Haru’s actually, all snuggling up and crushing them to the point where Sou’s arm has nowhere to go but along the back of the sofa behind Haru, and Haru ends up sinking up it due to Rin’s weight. 

“Ok, ok, god, you’re like a stupid puppy when you’re excited. Do we need to put wee-pads down for you?” Sousuke groans, getting a hand on Rin’s back just so he doesn’t slide onto the floor on his ass with all his wriggling. 

“I’m just  _happy_ , it’s been a really nice evening, don’t you think?”

“It’s barely been two hours. We’ve not even ordered the pizza yet,” Haru grunts. “Don’t get ahead of yourself.”

But they both know they’ve probably already lost Rin to this ridiculous state of glee, and share another long suffering look an sigh in sync.

They’ve all got pizza, Haru’s slipped to the floor in front of Sousuke’s legs for Rin to have the couch, and Deep Blue Sea is in the DVD player. It must be something about having so much water on screen that’s doing…  _something_  to Haru, with how he keeps shuffling, and this is the third time he’s gotten up to go to presumably the bathroom. Sousuke’s the only one to have finished his pizza, and shares a concerned glance with Makoto across the room, who cocks his head in the direction of the door. 

He gets up, feeling really out of place as the one to go and check on Haru, but Makoto’s being crushed by a Kisumi and Rin’s probably too high on happy to be of any use, so there really isn’t another option. He knocks on the door, but it clicks out of the lock with his touch, and he can just see Haru staring at the sink through the crack.

“You alright?” he asks. 

“Um… yeah,” Haru’s voice is raspy, like maybe he’s been heaving, and Sousuke slowly walks in. 

His face is all wet. And his hair. And his collar. And the sink is fully like he’s… been submerging himself in the tiny little bowl. 

“What the  _fuck, Nanase?!”_

 _“…_ I missed the water.”

“Yeah. Alright. Sure. Sounds like you missed your evening meds as we - HEY!”

He grabs Haru by the back of the shirt before he can dunk himself into the sink again, pulling him away and towards his chest where he can better secure him with both hands on his arms. 

Haru huffs. “Never took  _you_  as the type who’d get so protective. I’m not going to  _drown_  myself, you know.”

He pouts, bottom lip jutting out in a way that’s just a bit too cute for Sousuke’s liking. 

“Yeah, well, I…” he strokes Haru’s arms with his thumbs, still holding on but not in such a death grip anymore, and Haru’s not so rigid like he’s trying to get away. 

It’s probably something to do with being in such close confinements, and something to do with how Haru looks, all moody and wet and so subdued by his favourite thing, but Sousuke’s genuinely endeared. Kind of wants to hug him. So he does. And it’s sweet, how loose arms hook around him in return. 

They’re rudely interrupted by exaggerated choking from the lounge. 

“What the  _fuck_  did you put in this cake, Haru?!”


End file.
